Overheating with ETS FMIC?

My car is running half way between the middle of the gauge and hot and it doesn't take it all that long to get there from a cold start.

The previous owner advises that the thermostat is new and I believe him. The radiator and overflow are where they are supposed to be.

I was just wondering if the ETS intercooler is that much bigger than the stocker where it would have a substantial effect on blocking air flow to the radiator.
The car came with the ETS IC so I don't have any idea how big the stocker would be.

This really does seem like more of a thermostat issue because the thermostat is opening well past the middle of the gauge. I am just trying to get some direction on this.

My front bumper is completely hacked and I am not running fogs so I would expect there to be some decent flow to the radiator.

Thanks

 

[galant344]

thermostat is cheap...... replace it and see what happens. I never had a cooling problem w/ my ets set up.

 

Well that is good to know. I will give it a shot. Do you run the stock temperature thermostat? Is it OEM?

Thanks

 

+1
You can't keep driving it like that. It's not uncommon to get a new t-stat that malfunctions. Better yet, remove it all together & see what happens. That will confirm if it is indeed the t-stat.

 

I'll just remove the stat temporarily to see how it goes.

Good idea...thanks!

 

The stock OEM thermostat is sufficiant in your case. Like Garfield said, it's not uncommon to get a bad one right out of the box. It's cheap and easy, try it and let us know what happens

 

Will do!

 

[toybreaker]

Log the ect so you know what you're actually running for coolant temps. The factory temp gauge is a piece of shite.

Pop the radiator cap off, and inspect the coolant passages inside.
A lot of build up/scaling indicates time for a new rad, or a rod out by an old school radiator shop. In this new day and age, a new all aluminum evo III radiator is very attractive when compared to servicing a twenty year old radiator with plastic end tanks.

Make sure the exterior of the radiator is clean, and the radiator and ac core air passages aren't clogged with dirt/organic debris. Shine a strong light thru from the backside to get an idea of how much of the core is obstructed.

Remove the radiator and rinse thru it and the a/c core backwards (from the backside to the front) with a garden hose to remove any acculumation.

When re-installing the radiator, make sure all the air has to pass thru the radiator by closing any and all gaps to the sides with block off plates made from plastic/sheet metal, whatever you like.

Check and/or replace the radiator cap with a quality unit.

If you do replace the t-stat, use the factory unit, as has already been stated by those who have been there and done that with aftermarket parts. There might be something out there that works as good as or better than o.e. for this application, but none of us have found it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[galant344]

Quoting blkchr91:
Well that is good to know. I will give it a shot. Do you run the stock temperature thermostat? Is it OEM?

Thanks



I actually have never changed the t-stat since i purchased the car. It ran for 9k miles with out ever over heating. I'll be putting a new stock t-stat in once it is running again!

 

Many thanks! I lucked out. It was the thermostat. The radiator is a brand new NAPA one so I lucked out there. I installed a Failsafe 180 degree thermostat. I should have read some of your posts closer and got an OE thermostat, but oh well at least it is done. Needle sits right in the middle now.